COPPA is a U.S. federal law that restricts the collection of personal data from children under 13. After a 2019 FTC settlement with YouTube and Google, the platform requires every creator to designate each video as "made for kids" or "not made for kids." Videos marked made for kids have personalized ads, comments, notifications, end screens, and several other features disabled — which usually translates to significantly lower revenue and engagement.
A Short History of COPPA on YouTube
Key Dates
- 1998: Congress passes COPPA. The law restricts how websites and online services collect data from children under 13 and sets out parental-consent requirements.
- 2013: The FTC updates COPPA rules to cover persistent identifiers, geolocation, photos, videos, and audio — significantly broadening the law's reach in the social-media era.
- September 2019: The FTC and the New York Attorney General announce a settlement with YouTube and Google over alleged COPPA violations. YouTube pays a $170 million penalty, the largest ever under COPPA at the time.
- November 2019: YouTube announces creator-facing changes, including the new "made for kids" designation system.
- January 2020: The new system goes live. Every creator must designate the audience for each video, and child-directed videos lose access to many features.
What Changed for Creators
Before 2020, YouTube treated child-directed content essentially the same as any other content from a feature standpoint. After the settlement, YouTube had to ensure it wasn't collecting personalized-ad data from viewers of child-directed videos, which the platform implements by stripping a long list of features from any video marked made for kids.
| Feature | Made for Kids | Not Made for Kids |
|---|---|---|
| Personalized ads | Off (contextual ads only) | On |
| Comments | Disabled | Enabled |
| Notification bell | Does not trigger | Triggers normally |
| End screens and cards | Not shown | Shown |
| Save to playlist | Limited | Available |
| Stories and live chat | Off | Available |
| Memberships and Super Chat | Off | Available where eligible |
The economic impact for child-directed creators was significant. Without personalized ads, CPM typically drops sharply because contextual targeting earns less than behavioral targeting. The loss of comments and the notification bell also dampens long-term engagement.
The Gray-Area Problem
YouTube's audience-designation system asks creators to decide whether each video is "made for kids" based on factors like subject matter, characters, themes, and whether the content is directed at children under 13. That sounds simple, but the FTC has stated that the determination depends on multiple factors and that creators are responsible for getting it right.
Common Gray-Area Categories
- Toy reviews: Aimed at adults who buy toys, or at the kids who play with them? Many channels argue the former; the FTC has signaled they often consider it the latter.
- Animation: Adult-oriented animated content can still attract child viewers because the art style is similar to kids' shows.
- Family vlogging: Videos featuring children but addressing adult viewers fall into a debated zone.
- Educational content for older kids and adults: Material that works for both can be hard to classify cleanly.
- Gaming content involving kid-friendly games: Minecraft, Roblox, and similar titles attract huge child audiences.
Penalties for Misclassification
The 2019 settlement was directed at YouTube and Google. But the FTC has separately stated that creators who misclassify child-directed videos as "not made for kids" can face FTC enforcement action and civil penalties under COPPA. The statutory maximum penalty per violation under COPPA is in the tens of thousands of dollars, and individual creator enforcement has not been widespread — but the FTC has reserved the right to act.
Self-Designation Is a Legal Decision
The made-for-kids checkbox is not just a YouTube UI choice — it has legal weight under COPPA. Choosing "not made for kids" for content that is clearly directed at children can expose the creator to FTC enforcement. Choosing "made for kids" defensively is the safer option for borderline cases, even if it costs revenue and engagement.
The "Made for Kids" Debate
The new system was contentious from the start. Many creators argued the rules were overly broad — that the FTC and YouTube were treating any content that might appeal to children as if it were directed at children, which captures a huge amount of family-friendly material. Others argued the rules were too lenient, especially given the history of inappropriate content slipping through to kids on YouTube.
Creators in gray-area categories (toy reviews, animation, family vlogs, kid-friendly gaming) saw measurable revenue drops when they switched videos to "made for kids" status. Some restructured their content to make adult intent clearer; others created separate channels for kid-directed work; others left those niches entirely. The platform's recommendation systems also shifted, with child-directed videos often surfacing primarily inside the YouTube Kids app and getting less reach in the main app's algorithmic feeds.
What Creators Should Know Today
- Every upload requires a designation. The audience question is part of the upload flow and can also be set at the channel level.
- Channel-level settings can override video-level choices if YouTube determines the channel is clearly directed at kids overall.
- Content can be reclassified after upload by YouTube or by FTC inquiry, with retroactive effects.
- Hosting kid-directed content on a channel can change how YouTube treats the entire channel for personalization purposes.
- Other countries have their own children's privacy laws (UK Children's Code, EU GDPR-K provisions, others) which may apply independently of COPPA.
Not Legal Advice
COPPA is a real federal statute with real enforcement risk. The information here is general education for creators, not legal advice. If your channel sits in a gray area or you're unsure whether your content qualifies as child-directed, consult an attorney who handles children's media or FTC matters in your jurisdiction.
Connected Topics
The made-for-kids designation interacts with YouTube Partner Program eligibility, CPM, monetization mechanics, and the broader algorithm. Channels that produce mostly kid-directed content often have very different growth and revenue profiles than general-audience channels of comparable size.
Project Realistic Channel Earnings
COPPA-designated videos earn very differently from general-audience ones. Use our calculator to model your channel's potential income.
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